A Candle in the Dark
by RedWolfdog
Summary: As mankind forgets their hopes and dreams, Wonderland plummets into a darkness which consumes not only the land, but its people too. WAY BETTER SUMMARY INSIDE! Please read the summary inside! Its better than it sounds! R&R. Hatter x Alice
1. Chapter 1

******SUMMARY: **_As mankind forgets their hopes and dreams, Wonderland plummets into a darkness which consumes not only the land, but its people too. Little does Alice know that her world is tied to the fate of the world she only read about in childrens books, until she is met by an ethereal creature who takes her into what's left of the world of Wonderland. There was an Alice who saved wonderland once before…will this Alice be able to do the same?_

**Pairing: Hatter X Alice**

**Rated T for Language, Action, and Suggestive themes.**

**DISCLAIMER: Don't own, don't sue…these are naught but creations of two minds combined, inspired by the brilliance of many minds…I'll let you figure that one out.**

**WARNING: Don't steal. I know where you live.**

**AKNOWLEDGEMENTS: Inspired by SyFy's Alice, and 1980's film, The Neverending Story…with some twists of our own of course *mwahahaha* BRILLIANT!**

**Planned by my Elder sister, Written by yours truly.**

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**1**

"_Let me fall. Let me climb. Theres a moment where fear and dreams must collide. Someone I am Is waiting for my courage…the one I want, the one I will become will catch me…"_

_~ "Let Me Fall", Cirque du Soleil, QUIDAM_

_Madness…_

_If there were a single word to describe it, that would be it…Madness…although, Madness was simply an understatement. She could not think of another word to describe it…so she stuck with the closest one, however far from it it may be._

_She diddnt know where she was, how she got there, or why she was there, nor did she know what was going on and why…all she knew was madness…and something else. Fear…a crippling fear that engulfed her body and mind, ridding her of any and all forms of clear thought. She acted solely on instinct…_

_Run…that's what she had to do…Run. Her mind told her so, and so she ran. She couldn't see where she was going. It was dark. She could see shadows from her surroundings. Her mind told her they were trees. _

_She was in the woods._

_But which woods? And where? Who cares. Run._

_The sky was blood red…the clouds circling above her were black as night…no light pierced through the tops of the trees…_

_There was only one thing guiding her. A companion, running alongside her…or behind her rather, weapon in hand, but he was no danger to her. In fact, he was protecting her…running behind her to shield her from whatever dangers may try to catch her unaware._

_Knowing he was there is what kept her from losing herself to the madness around her, the only thing keeping her somewhat right minded._

_Every once in a while, she would glance over her shoulder, just to make sure he was still there. She couldn't see his face in the darkness, but she could see his shadow, and that was all she needed to see._

_The ground suddenly shook beneath their feet. They lost their footing and fell hard on what felt like grass. He was the first to stand, taking her by the arms and quickly helping her back onto her feet just before another tremor shook the earth around them. This time, they braced themselves. He held her tightly from behind and pressed himself against the trunk of a tree, digging his heels into the ground for balance._

"_Its getting closer" She heard him say, "We have to keep running…we cant stop now…" His voice was weak…strained…clearly, he was very ill. Pressed firmly against him, she could feel his chest rise and fall with heavy heaves. Every now and again she would hear him wheeze. He was shivering._

"_You cant keep running like this," She told him, feeling his heart race at a most unhealthy speed, "You'll die."_

_She heard him grunt, felt his grip loosen before finally letting go, "I'll be fine. I made it this far. Lets go. We aint got much time…Its almost here…and you n-need…t-to-" He hacked and she heard the thud of his body hitting the ground._

_She opened her mouth to scream, but no sound came out._

_She fell to her knees, hands searching desperately for him, but he was not there…all she could feel was grass._

_Hot tears fell down her face as fear gripped her once more. _

_The blood red sky above her suddenly went black…_

"NO!!" She shot up in bed, dripping wet with sweat, heart pounding like mad. She gripped at her shirt over her chest, wincing as the muscles in that arm ached violently. She pulled her shirt down over her shoulder…it was bruised and…were those grass marks?

This was just too weird…

She buried her face in her hands. This dream..this same dream…its been haunting her for months…what does it mean? And why is it so real? Why can she feel pain in this dream and not in any other?

She rubbed her arms…she could still feel the tight, protective hold of the man in her dream, and in a way, he was glad she could. She diddnt know who this man was…she could never see his face, nor could she recall a name. She only knew the weak sound of his voice and the way he made her feel safe…She couldn't even recall what his form looked like…

Many a time she had gone to speak so people she believed could interpret her dreams…but each time she was turned away, as though her dream cannot and will not be defined. She ran her fingers through her soaking wet hair and stared longingly out the window…

There was no moon out tonight…She sighed and curled back up in her bed, hugging herself once more. The feeling was still there…And it was soothing enough to her to draw her back into a most needed sleep.

_Madness…if there was a single word to describe it, that would be it…Madness…_


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: okay, now where were we?...oh yes, I remember now!**

**(2)**

"_I remembered black skies, the lightning all around me. I remembered each flash as time began to blur like a startling sign that fate had finally found me…and your voice was all I heard that I get what I deserve."_

_~"New Divide" Linkin Park_

Alice stared out the window at the swirling grey clouds above. Water poured from the skies, enough to flood the streets below with several inches of depth. Its been raining this way for days now, and the weather had put her in somewhat of a depressed mood. This diddnt help her lack of sleep…

It was quiet in the house, save for the sound of the rain and the occasional boom of thunder in the distance. Alice sighed and stood up from bed, stretching her arms out behind her back. It felt good to stretch out. The feeling put a small smile on her face, but that smile was quickly wiped away as a sharp pain shot through her right shoulder. "Gah!" she screamed as she fell to her knees, gripping her throbbing arm. It was hurting way more than it should…

She glanced down at her shoulder. There was a bruise forming in the area between her shoulder and her collar bone. Her eyebrows furrowed in curiosity. Nowhere in her dream was she struck in that particular area…She walked over to her mirror to get a better look at the injury. It was uniquely formed…

The bruise wasn't round. It was long and had several smaller bruises around it…very uniquely formed indeed…

_Alice…_

The soft voice caught her by surprise, "Whos there!"

No response…

"oh jeez," She started to pace around the room, "this is too weird…come on, Alice, get a hold of yourself." A loud boom outside her window made her jump. Great, that was just what she needed…her nerves were already shot enough as it is….

'I need to clear my mind…' she thought to herself, 'cant go out…too rainy…TV…' Yes, the Television was a good way to clear her mind…but where was the bloody remote!? She grunted as her attempts to find the accursed thing failed miserably…but hey, this search was an excellent way to clear her mind!

Perhaps she could clean her room?

There were so many options.

The wind outside picked up, followed by another loud crack of lightning and thunder. This one made her scream a little. Her icy blue eyes couldn't help but travel over to the nearest window. What a mess. It was as though someone had draped a black sheet over her window. The only possible way she could see was when a flash of lightning chose to illuminate the skies…but even then, the light wasn't strong enough…it was faint...

She stepped back from the window and, fearing the worst, rushed to her TV and turned it on. A screeching sound met her ears just as she did so, followed by a red screen that read TORNADO WARNING…

Alice felt her face go pale and her heart drop. The lights flickered on and off, as if they could not decide whether to blow out or stay on. She could feel the floor shake somewhat…

"Shit!"

Grabbing her coat and a pair of shoes, she made a beeline for the front door, rushing down the stairs of the apartment complex.

Her nightmare started to replay in her head…

_Madness…_

_Run. Run. Run. Run…._

"_Its getting closer…we cant stop now…"_

"_We aint got much time…"_

She could hear the wind howling like a pack of wolves just outside the building. Flipping up her hood, she bolted out the back door, headed towards the storage building just behind the complex. It seemed so far away. It diddnt feel as though she was running fast enough. The faster she ran, the slower she felt she was going.

Rain pounded down on her like a shower of stones. The wind threatened to send her flying…

Fear gnawed at her chest once more, only this time, it was real, and there was no one there to protect her… this was no dream.

From the corner of her eye, she saw a flash, followed by a loud, deafening crack almost immediately. She could feel the heat from the small explosion. She screamed and forced her legs to pump faster, desperate to get to a sturdy shelter.

_Alice…_

It was that voice again…The voice was clearly male. It was very deep and reverberated through her head like a church bell.

_The door is open, Alice…_

'What?'

CRACK!

This time, she fell over. The explosion made her ears ring and the heat nearly singed her fair skin. The wind was howling so loud it almost deafened her. She tried to scream, but couldn't…Fear was crippling her already. 'no…no no no please!' She thought to herself as her eyes fixed on the incoming swirl of clouds. She could feel herself being drawn in by its powerful winds. 'NO!!!'

Just then, a white flash bolted infront of her. She closed her eyes tightly, bracing herself, but no sound came, nor did any heat burn her flesh…the rain seemed to stop aswell…

Her eyes opened slightly. The area around her was completely illuminated in a soft white light. She stared up at its source with clear awe and wonder on her face. Standing above her was an enormous white stag, glowing almost as bright as the sun itself, crowned by a set of large antlers that could easily been mistaken for small trees judging by their size…

The Stag bellowed and whipped around, scooping Alice up with its antlers to carry her away from the incoming danger. Alice could not believe what was happening…for a moment, she thought she was still dreaming, but the taste of the rain told her otherwise.

"Who are you! Where are you taking me!"She shouted. _~Brace yourself,~_ was all it said.

"Wha-" was all Alice managed to say before the Stag broke clean through the doors of the storage building. She almost flew off of the creatures back, and she would have, had she not been gripping his antlers almost to the point of bleeding.

~_I told you to brace yourself…~_

"Where are you taking me!! Who are you!!"

_~Hold your breath!~ _The creature leapt clean through one of the larger mirrors in the building. For a few moments, Alice could not breathe, until at last she was…somewhere…

She was on the ground…the Stag had disappeared, and it was very very dark.

Gasping for breath, she stood up on shaky legs. It was quiet…way too quiet…

"Hello?" she called into the darkness, but no one answered, "Hello! Is anybody around who can help me?! Where am I?!"

"SHHHH!!!!" at last, a response…but it was not the response she wanted.

"Hello?" She turned in the direction of the voice.

"SHHH!" she heard once again. "What in bloody hell are you trying to do, get us all killed? Be quiet before they hear you!" someone whispered in the darkness.

"Where are you?" she whispered, walking towards the voice. She felt a hand grip her wrist and she almost screamed had not the owner of the hand pulled her in and covered her mouth with their other hand. "Shhh," they whispered in her ear, "theyre coming…keep still, and don't make a sound…" Alice started to squirm. The stranger released her wrist and wrapped the arm around her abomen, holding her tightly, "SHHH!! Damn it, cant you follow directions!! Don't move and don't make a sound! Lest you'll get us both killed!!"

A loud rustle from the other side of the wall made both their hearts skip a beat. The person holding Alice quickly spun around, still holding her, so that their back was towards the sound.

A soft light illuminated the room…not enough to see at a distance, but just enough so that Alice was able to see the silhouette of her captor, a man in a hooded black cloak that blended easily into its surroundings. 'that's why he turned his back..' she thought. There was an eerie feeling that surrounded the room when the light came in…death and sadness hung in the air…very unwelcome feelings that sent chills down both their spines…

His breathing was shallow as to not make any unnecessary noise, although his heart was pounding, clearly out of fear. He slowly turned his head, using one dark eye to glance over his shoulder. As soon as the light was gone, he leaned down towards Alice's ear, "Follow me…and put this on," He removed his cloak and handed it to her, "Don't speak…don't make a sound…promise?" She nodded and he released her, taking her by the wrist to lead her out. "Don't be afraid…follow me and you'll be okay" He reassured her, as though he sensed her fear and confusion.

Alice had no Idea what was going on, where she was and why…

One second she's running from a twister, the next she was god-knows-where, entrusting her life to a complete stranger in pure darkness…

She needed some answers…

**A/N: crappy chapter, I know, but I had to do SOMETHING to get her happy ass where it belongs without using a filler chapter in between…I fucking hate fillers :/**

**ANYWHO!! All questions will be answered in due time…I know the Stag was a WTF moment, but even he will be explained.**

**One thing I will explain to you though…everything that is happening in Wonderland is tied to what is happening in the real world…even that will be explained. Thanks for reading! Will update soon!!**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Boom goes the dynamite**

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(3)

"_On the shore we sat and hoped  
Under the same pale moon  
Whose guiding light chose you"_

_~"The Poet and the Pendulum", Nightwish_

"Quick, get on," The stranger said to her, gesturing towards a grey horse waiting for them just outside the building. Even outside it was dark…not as dark as inside the building, but still too dark to see the strangers face. There were no stars in the sky, nor a moon to light the way. It was freezing cold aswell…

"Where are we going? Whats going on?" Alice asked him as she mounted the horse. He mounted aswell, sitting himself behind her. He reached around her and grabbed hold of the reins, "Best to save the questions for when were safe, yes? HYAAH!!" He kicked the horse in the side and the creature took off. Alice had to hold on to the saddle to keep herself from falling . she had never been on a horse before until now, and she was rather afraid. Luckily, the stranger was seated behind her, else she would have flown off.

"Cant you at least tell me where I am?" She asked, trying to speak above the sound of the horses hooves on the ground. "Wonderland," The stranger responded, "Or what's left of it anyway…I'll explain everything when we get to somewhere safe." The stranger had a sort of a British lilt to the way he spoke…it was quite charming, rather. Alice had always fancied that particular accent…

"Wonderland?" Alice asked incredulously. She shook her head and mumbled, "I really must be dreaming…" "This aint no dream, love…" He responded, having heard her comment, "and this aint no fairytale neither…Trust me, I will explain everything later."

"I don't even know who you are, how can I trust you?" she snapped, looking up at him from under the dark hood. "Because I'm here to protect you," He was clearly starting to get agitated with all of her questions. "Protect me? From what?!" she said, but before he could respond, the horse reared on its hind legs, screaming in fear. Its sudden movement, threatened to throw both its riders on their back, and it would have, had the stranger not held on to the reins tight enough. Alice's full weight on his chest almost threw him off, but he was able to regain control of the frightened beast by yanking on the reins. Once the horse was back on all four feet, He jumped off, handing the reins to Alice, "Go! The horse knows where hes going, he will take you to safety!"

"Wait, whats going on!!" She cried, but was silenced by the sounds of gunshots accompanied by high pitched screams and screeches. God knows what kind of creature could ever make such a terrible sound, and Alice wasn't willing to find out anytime soon. "Just go!! Run!!" He shouted at her. He turned around for a brief second to slap the horse's hindquarters. Before Alice could say anything, the horse broke out into a run. The sounds of he battle behind her began to fade the further the horse ran. Alice still couldn't believe what was happening…but even in her cluelessness, she wasn't about ready to let someone die for her, even if he was a complete stranger to her. She yanked on the reins and forcibly turned the horse around back in the direction they came.

"What are you doing!!" the boy roared at her, reloading his gun to fire once again at the screeching shadow creature in front of him. He couldn't see the thing, only its piercing scarlet eyes. The creature suddenly turned towards the sound of the incoming horse. He could see gleaming ivory teeth as it smiled, "yesssssss….at lasssst!!!" The beast lunged at Alice.

Alice could see the creature running towards her, silver teeth bared, red eyes flaring like embers from the pit of hell itself.

"ALICE!! NO!!" was the last thing she heard…

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Warmth…

Her mind perceived this feeling around her as warmth…she was somewhere warm…

Soft…she felt something soft wrapped around her…this soft thing was warm…but there was something else that was warm.

Light…a gentle light made itself known to her from behind her eyelids…this light was the source of the warmth. The light was flickering slightly…Fire. She was by a fire.

There was a delightful aroma that filled the air. Very herbal…

Her eyes fluttered open. It took her a second or two to become accustomed to the lighting after having spent so much time in the dark, but when she did, she noticed she was in a small building…judging by the walls, she was underground. She was laying on some cushions infront of the fireplace, wrapped up in a blanket of rabbit fur. Hanging on a pole, awfully close to the fireplace were the jeans, tanktop and jacket she had been wearing earlier. She furrowed her brow, confused for a second until she realized that the fur blanket was the only thing shielding her bare skin from view aside from her bra and underwear.

Gasping, she sat up, holding the blanket tightly around her. Her eyes scanned the room frantically as dozens of questions began to pour into her head, resulting in a slight headache…Where am I? Who brought me here? Why am I half naked? What is going on?!

"oh good, you're awake."

Alice's head whipped around to face the familiar voice. A handsome young man, about the age of twenty, with wild black hair and dark eyes was coming toward her with a small teacup in his hand. She could see the steam rising from it and the fantastic aroma it gave off nearly made her forget her questions for the time being. "Would you care for a cup of tea? Made it meself," He said, handing it to her with a kind smile, "It'll do ya good, especially after what you been through."

She took the cup from his hands and stared into the dark liquid, taking in the fresh herbal scent of the tea, then looked over at her clothes, "did you-"

"Had to," He cut her off, "You were drenched…musta been raining something awful back in your world…and here in this cold weather? Couldn't have you getting sick now could we?"

She stared at him, eyes wide, and he chuckled, "don't worry…I didn't touch you. I know better…I would never perform such hideous acts. Leaves a nasty taste in my mouth just thinkin of it." He stood from his crouch an walked over to her clothes, touching them to make sure they were dried well enough before handing them over to her, " 'ere ya go. nice and warm. Go on and get dressed. I'll be in the other room of you need me." He started to walk away then turned around quickly, "Oh! Silly me I almost forgot! I have not yet properly introduced meself." He reached for the short tophat on his head and removed it, bowing in a very gentlemanly manner, "The name is Hatter…at least that's what everyone calls me…"

"I'm-"

"Alice…I know who you are…" He cut her off again. Alice's eyes opened in shock, "how?" Hatter smiled slightly and reached out to his side, placing his tophat on a short hat-rack, "Get dressed. We will discuss this over some tea, ya? Go on now." He walked into one of the other rooms. There were no doors connecting the rooms, only drapes.. Normally, Alice would be very uncomfortable with this, but right now she diddnt seem to care. She took a sip of the warm tea in her hands. It warmed her up quicker than the blanket and the fire had. She could instantly feel the tension in her muscles ease and her headache fade.

Sighing, she put the cup down on one of the cushions and stood, allowing the fur blanket to fall from her shoulders. She rapidly began to dress, not wanting to be so exposed when Hatter came back into the room. Just as she slipped her shirt over her head, she heard him call from the other room, "Are you decent?" "Yes," she called back as she finished putting on her shirt. Hatter made his way back into the room, carrying a teapot in one hand and an empty teacup in the other. He set these items down on a small round table in the corner, then pulled up two chairs, setting them opposite eachother. He gestured for Alice to have a seat. Alice reached down to pick up her teacup before heading over to the table, sitting herself across from him.

"Now then…I promised to answer all your questions when we were safe…we are safe now, " Hatter said, his voice calm as he poured himself a cupful of his tea, "I'm going to tell you a story…that I hope will answer many of your questions, so listen carefully." He took a sip from his cup, "Wonderland hasn't always existed…it was created, long after your world came to be, and it all started with the dream of one human child…the first human child ever to dream, and remember his dream. The result of this dream was the birth of a magnificent diety, the White Stag. The more this child dreamed, the more powerful the stag became…and eventually, as more children dreamed, the Stag became somewhat of a god, using their dreams to create this magnificent world and all of its inhabitants….it took quite a few generations to make, but the end result was a breathtaking world where dreams weren't just pictures in your head at night…they were real." He shut his eyes for a moment, as if picturing the magnificent world Wonderland once was before returning to his story, "for hundreds of years and thousands of generations, the land became more and more magnificent with every dream and every wish from every human being….but…all of that started to change when the Stag stopped working his wonders. Humans from your world started becoming more aggressive...more 'realistic', and began to forget how it was as a child…they began forgetting their dreams." Alice couldn't help but notice the sadness washing over Hatters once cheery eyes. He was gazing down sadly at the teacup in his hand, running his finger over the rim of it, "as a result, people started making their children forget their dreams aswell. They pretty much forced their children to grow up…as a result, Wonderland saw no more of the Stag…the very diety who protected them for so long." Having suddenly lost his craving for the tea, he pushed his cup to the side and leaned back against the wall behind him, "slowly but surely, an evil force started to creep its way into this once peaceful land. Things were really hectic around here before we even noticed what was going on. Plants started dying, valleys became wastelands, cities turned to ruin, and Wonderlands people started to die off one by one…and is been that way ever since. Slowly but surely, this land of ours is dying, and soon enough, there wont be any dreams left." Hatter shut his eyes once more, trying hard to control the negative emotions stirring within him; sadness, anger, hate, etc…the last thing he wanted was to snap in front of a girl he had only just met. He took a deep breath before opening his eyes again. Alice was fiddling with her teacup in the same manner he was just a while ago.

"so…" She began, "if the Stag has no power…how did he bring me here?"

"He comes and goes…but only when he needs to. You see…he still has power, but not enough to save wonderland on his own. He had help once before…another girl named Alice came here once many years ago and restored peace to Wonderland. As a result, humans started dreaming and imagining again…but it didn't last for too long. The Stag prophesized the coming of another Alice who would restore Wonderland to its former glory, but very few believed him. I was one of the few that did…and out of all of his remaining followers, he chose me to be the one to protect Alice when she came." He rolled up his sleeve, showing her the mark that was tattooed into his skin. It appeared to be a tree branch. It looked more like his skin had been stained. "and if I'm not mistaken," He said, rolling his sleeve back down, "you have a similar marking on your shoulder there, do you not?" Instinctively, Alice pulled down her shoulder strap from her tanktop, looking down at the area that had appeared to have been bruised just a while back. It actually had shape now. She recognized the shape of a single tree leaf, with two or three smaller leaves surrounding it.

"what? But…why? Why me? How?" She asked, not only to Hatter, but to herself aswell. "I asked myself those very same questions, Alice…and I don't even have answers yet."

"But…I…I don't understand…" She said, shaking her head, "this cant…no, Im not...I cant-" "Alice…" Hatter cut her off with a soothing tone in his voice. He reached out and placed one hand on her arm in a friendly gesture, looking her straight in the eyes, "Listen, I know this is all very confusing for you. It is for me too…but lets just trust in the Stags judgment for now, ya? He's been around for a few thousand years, I'd say he knows what he's doing, don't you agree?" He chuckled slightly, but Alice didn't find any of it humerous. She turned her face away from him, sniffing lightly. He knew she was crying…

He shook his head and stood up from his stool, kneeling down on the floor infront of her. "Oi," He said making eye contact with her once more. Tears were welling up in her eyes. "Theres nothing to be afraid of, love…I'm here to take care of you." He said to her with a smile on his face, "I promise you I wont let anything happen to you…and I promise, I will get you home safe and sound once this is all over, okay?" She wiped at her tears before they fell, nodding slightly. "brilliant," He said, standing up, "now then…time to get some shut eye, yes? Weve got a long journey ahead of us and we need to rest up while we can."

Alice looked over toward her makeshift bed by the fireplace, but snapped her head back when she heard Hatter chuckle. "You don't think I'm gonna let you sleep on that mess again, do ya? Come on, you're place is back here." He said with a grin, taking her back into a small bedroom with nothing but a bed and a small table in the corner. "I know its not what you're used to…but ever since my home was destroyed, I had to start from scratch. Built this place with me own hands I did." There was a hint of pride in his voice as though he had accomplished something phenomenal. Alice couldn't help but smile. "Ah, see? Now I got you smiling." Hatter said with even greater pride, "now off to bed with you."

He watched her as she slipped away behind the drape, then turned towards the cushions he had laid out in front of the fireplace. He walked over to them and seated himself down on one of them, staring solemnly into the dancing flames. He thought about the earlier events…how he had almost broken his vow…He had sworn to the gods to protect her at any and all costs, but earlier today, he had almost lost her. How could they expect him to protect someone when he can barely even protect himself?

He knew for sure he wasn't going to get any sleep tonight at all…

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_**A/N: and from here on out, ladies and gentlemen, things are gonna get really fucked up. **_


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: No lyric for this one unfortunately :/**

(4)

Hatter stirred uncomfortably in his sleep, not because of his bedding; he was used to sleeping in odd places…but because of his back…

There was something on his back that stung horribly. Hissing in a breath, he sat up, reaching down his collar to feel a burning hot scab just starting to form on his shoulder blade.

Another scar to add to his "collection" so to speak…but this one was different. This one had not come from a human. He couldn't tell whether it was the shadow creatures talons or fangs that had struck him the previous night whilst trying to protect the fallen Alice…he only hoped the wound wasn't as deep or as long as it felt...

Curious he stood up, carefully removing his shirt as to not hurt the wound further, and approached a long mirror in the corner. He looked away almost instantly as the severity of the wound was made clear to him…

The gash extended from his left shoulder blade to the very center of his back. There were a couple other scratches around it, but he could not feel those for the skin around the largest gash was black and bruised and quite numb. The darkness of the bruise that surrounded it contrasted all too well against his skin…

"Hatter?"

The voice caught him by surprise and he hurried to put his shirt back on, slipping his arms into the sleeves and buttoning it up as quick as he could without messing it up. "Ah, Alice! You're awake! Good morning to ya!" He said cheerfully with a nervous smile on his face, "I trust you slept well?" "Fine, yes, thank you." She said. She cocked an eyebrow at him, "what were you doing?" "hmm? Oh, nothing. Just woke up meself," He said as he finished buttoning his shirt, "Its dreadfully cold out there. You may want to wear a thicker jacket than that gimpy looking thing you were wearing yesterday…hold on." He ran over to a small closet, digging through the seemingly endless array of clothing he had before emerging at last with two long coats, both black, and handed one to her. "Here ya go," he said, "It'll keep you warm and safe…somewhat." "What do you mean?" She asked him, taking the coat. "Those creatures you saw last night? We call them Shadows…They are easily attracted to color…so wearing black gives them less of a chance of picking you out." Hatter responded.

Alice thought back to the frightening creature that had attacked her the night before…she could almost see its fire red eyes and silver teeth. "What are they?" She couldn't help but ask. Hatter sighed sadly and looked down for a brief moment, "They are…what we become once the darkness has reached us…those creatures are former wonderlanders…The curse can be broken, if you catch it on time, but for most of them, its too late. They've been consumed, and the only way to save them is to kill them…"

"oh…" was all Alice managed to say. She diddnt know how to respond…It was obvious by the look in Hatters eyes that he had lost many friends and loved ones and, she assumed, he had to kill many of them…

Suddenly, he smiled and perked up, "Well enough of this gloomy talk. We have things to do. Come on, then!" Alice smiled and shook her head as she followed him. Never in her life had she met a man with so many quirks…

Hatter led her up a ladder and through a round door at the top. As the door opened, a large rush of cold air nearly froze Alice in place. He sure wasn't kidding when he said it was dreadfully cold! "Christ!" She said, flipping up the hood of the coat over her head. "Keep moving! Don't want your hands freezing to the ladder now do we?" Hatter called to her as he climbed out of the narrow hole, reaching one hand down to help her up. She took his offered hand, shivering violently, "You never told me it was THIS cold. I would have worn my other jacket along with this one."

"Yeah, Winters can get pretty violent here." He said, shutting the door to his underground home, "That's why we cant-"

"Hatter! Look out!" Alice cut him off, pointing behind him and the black creature grinning fiercely at them from its perch on a nearby tree. Hatter spun around towards the creature just as it started to leap away, cackling as it did so.

Hatters eyes widened, "They know where we are…Quick! Help me! We have to get our things and get out of here while we can!" He rushed over to where his horse was tied up. "How fast do they travel?" Alice asked him, rushing over to help attach the saddle bags. "The shadows? They can travel pretty fast…They travel in clans, but they don't do anything unless their leader tells them otherwise. Once their leader hears that you're here, he's going to have almost his entire army on our tails…which is why we best be making tracks."

"Those things have a leader?!"

"Aye. He was born the same way the Stag was, only hes made from something entirely different. He's a creature of Nightmares, not dreams…and hes fueled by the very thing that weakens the Stag. He is the reason wonderlanders are becoming…those creatures…all it takes is one touch…" He was silent for a few seconds, his mind wandering to the painful scar on his back. He had to stop himself from reaching back to touch it. "But we do have an advantage!" He said suddenly, perking up, "They are slow by day, So we can gain some pretty decent ground ahead of them during the day and catch sleep when we can." He tied the last bag to the saddle of the horse and double checked to make sure the other bags were tied securely.

"Where exactly is it that were going?" Alices voice was full of curiosity and confusion. He diddnt blame her. He was confused himself…

"The temple." He said, dark eyes meeting hers, "a shrine built by the very first people here in honor of the Stag…it's a few days from here on horseback, way out on the farthest side of Wonderland. Its the only way we can receive answers from him." Hatter swung himself onto the stallion, holding a hand down to Alice, "Come on now. Unless you'd rather walk." Alice took his outstretched hand and pulled herself up onto the horse. She was seated infront of him again. It was obvious he would not allow her to sit behind him where she was easy prey to any silent creature attacking from behind. She could protect herself, and she knew that very well. Normally, she wouldn't accept protection, but for some reason, she accepted it from this man, whom shes only known for less than a day…

She diddnt mind, really…she was a lot warmer where she was sitting, and she did feel safer.

Hatter whipped the reins once and the horse started forward.

* * *

"Where are they!" The voice was loud, much like a roar…

"In a hole at the edge of the woods…they have a den there, but it seemed as if they were leaving elsewhere."

The great black creature tossed its massive head, "Sniff them out…before they get too far. They must not reach Makatok."


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Yes, it's a filler…bear with me here. I have to put these fuckers in or else the story will move way too fast…and anyways, I wanna be able to build the relationship between our two lovely characters, and unfortunately the only way to do so is with fillers…*shudder***

**FML…oh well, here it is. Please don't be too harsh, I know its crap and I've already punished myself for it -.-;;**

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**(5)**

"_Am I alone in this?  
Never a night where I can sleep myself till day.  
We must try to figure it out, figure it out.  
It won't be that easy,  
We lost it somehow."_

_~Mae, "The Ocean"_

"…And after my parents died, I left my hometown and started a life elsewhere. Been alone ever since," Hatter concluded his story as they trotted through the woods on horseback, making sure to remain within the sunlight. He continued, "I had a few acquaintances here and there, but no real close friends. I guess you can say that after the loss of me family, I just never really wanted to get close to anyone." He chuckled, "you're the first person I've ever spoken to about my past. No one knows me for who I am…just what I am." "And what would that be?" Alice asked curiously. Hatter smiled slightly, "The Mad Hatter…I've always been known for owning quite a collection of odd hats that I seemed to pull off very well. This one is me favorite." He reached up, adjusting the brown hat on his head. It resembled a flattened tophat. It was odd indeed, but, like he said, he pulled it off quite nicely. "I don't really know why it was they called me 'Mad'…never really understood it…" He continued. Alice laughed a little, "You are a little weird. I mean, I don't think I've ever met a guy with so many…quirks, for lack of a better word. I can kinda see why they would think so." "Just my nature I guess," Hatter smiled that same accomplished smile, full of pride.

"So what is your real name?" Alice was curious…he had introduced himself with a name given to him by the people of wonderland, but not by his birth name.

"bah," he said, "I abandoned my name years ago…I haven't been called by my real name since I was a boy."

"well what is it?"

"oooh, demanding are we?," Hatter chuckled and adjusted his had once more. His eyes fixed forward. He had a soft smile on his face, as if recalling his name was something magical. He sighed a little a closed his eyes for a moment. His lips parted, as though he were about to speak, but he shook his head slightly, opening his eyes again, "forget about it…its not that important really. Besides, I much prefer to be called 'Hatter'," He perked up a little, "its more…me." There was that same prideful smile again, but that smile diddnt last long.

His expression quickly changed from pride, to slightly pained as he shifted his shoulders uncomfortably. "Whats the matter?" Alice said, clear worry on her face. Hatter diddnt respond, he was too concerned with the pain making its way up and down his back. His knuckles were white from how hard he was gripping the horses reins.

"Hatter?"

"Its nothing." He said, trying hard not to sound as pained as he really was, "just…my shoulders hurt…that fight last night really did a number on me."

"Will you be okay?"

"I'll be fine." He straightened himself up and nudged the horse in the side. The beast trotted along at a faster pace in response. Alice knew something was wrong…just this morning she caught him looking at his back in the mirror, and just now, his back was bothering him again…

She was unable to catch glimpse of what he was looking at before, but she was sure he had been hurt by something. She chose not to question him on it, though…if he said he was fine, she had no choice but to trust his word.

The edge of the forest came into sight. She could see the open fields beyond it, engulfed in warm sunlight, exactly what the both of them wanted to see. The further away they could get from the dark wasteland behind them, the better…and direct sunlight is what they need most to keep themselves alive throughout the journey.

They were both relieved to feel the warmth of the sunlight on their face. The breeze was cold, but when it was not blowing, the sunshine was like a blessing. It was the first time either of them had seen the sun in quite a few days, and it really lifted their spirits, but right now was no time for celebration. They had a lot of ground to cover before nightfall.

* * *

Alice finished unsaddling the horse, rubbing its bare back as she did so. The horse seemed to enjoy this gesture, after a long day of carrying their weight and showed his appreciation by nudging the side of her face. Alice smiled and patted the beasts cheek before turning her attention upward. Hatter was perched on the highest branch of a tree like some kind of hawk watching over the world around him. He's been up there since they stopped, and hasn't so much as said a word.

Alice placed her hands on her hips, "Do you plan on coming down anytime soon?" She could see his head turn towards her. Finally, she had his attention.

"Come down already. You've been up there for ages!" She called to him.

Hatter turned to gaze at the setting sun once more…with each second that passed, he could feel a tingle in his back, gradually getting worse as the night fell further. It wasn't painful, just very annoying, and he really diddnt want it there. With a growl, he made his way down the tree, careful as to not agitate his back in any sort of way. After traveling all day, all he really wanted was to kick back and relax for a bit and get his thoughts in order. Having been called down from his 'quiet place' annoyed him somewhat, but he diddnt let it phase him much. He hadn't had a companion in quite some time, so he should appreciate the company, and he very much did, but that didn't mean he was used to it.

His feet hit the ground with a soft thud. "There," He said, brushing his hands off on his jacket, "happy?" Alice rolled her eyes and pulled her jacket tighter around her, "Help me start a fire, would ya?"

"Well since when did you take charge of this little expedition, miss?" Hatter tried to sound stern but couldn't seem to hide the smirk creeping over his face.

"Since I've been down here setting up camp while you were up there daydreaming."

"I wasn't daydreaming, I was thinking."

"Thinking, daydreaming, same thing."

"Definitely not."

"Is too."

They could have gone on that way for hours, but Hatter chose to back off while he was still calm. If there was one thing he had learned about her so far is that she was just as stubborn as he was if not more. He shook his head and took off his hat, using his free hand to shake up his long dark hair after having been matted down to his scalp. He liked the feeling of his hair flying free in the breeze. His skin started to prickle with Goosebumps as the cold air brushed against the parts of his head that had previously been covered. It was a very pleasant sensation.

He watched as Alice was hard at work building a small pit of fire, intent on getting some decent warmth going. She was already setting up a protective barrier of stones around the pit, to prevent the fire spreading further than it should. Her hands were shaking and so was the rest of her. The hood of her jacket was up. The only parts of her he could see were her shaking hands, her nose and her mouth along with a few stray locks of hair making their presence known fron under the hood. Every now and again a breath of white would escape her lips, which were already beginning to lose their color from the cold. Hatter tilted his head to the side a little bit as he watched her and couldn't help but feel bad at how pitiful and cold she looked…very different from the strong, stubborn woman who he had been traveling with all day…

Her ice blue eyes suddenly locked onto his, catching him off guard. "Are you going to help?" Her voice was stern as she spoke, as stern as her gaze. Hatter jumped a little, having been caught staring, and started to fidget, "oh, um…right." He head off in his own direction. Alice only hoped he was looking for something to light a decent fire with.

Alice finished setting the stones then settled herself down at the base of the tree, pulling her legs in close to her and hugging them. From the corner of her eye, she could see their horse doing the same. With a chuckle, she reached out and patted him on the muzzle. "what to call you…" she said to herself as she rubbed behind its ears. The poor creature had no name, that she knew of at least…it was only fair that he was granted one so that he may be addressed properly, but what to call him.

Her thinking was interrupted by footsteps approaching. She looked over to see Hatter carrying a wide array or sticks, leaves, and broken branches. He approached the pit she had dug and tossed the material in. "Its not much," He said as he reached into one of his bags, pulling out a small box of matches, "But its enough to get us all warmed up again." He struck several matches, eager to get the fire going, more so for Alice than himself. He was used to this weather, having lived in wonderland all his life, but Alice had never experienced one of their winters before, and they had some pretty violent winters. He wouldn't want her getting sick or freezing to death.

As the fire rose, he watched as she huddled herself closer to the warmth, smiling somewhat as the color began to return to her face and her shivering started to cease. "Feel better?" He said with a small smile. Alice nodded, stretching herself out by the fire to warm the rest of her, using her arms as pillows. "So how much longer until we reach this temple? And whats going to happen when we get there?" Alice asked as she shut her eyes, wallowing in the heat of the fire.

Hatter leaned back onto his elbows, "well…to be honest I've never been there meself, I've only heard stories…" Alice suddenly opened her eyes, "so were going somewhere you've never been to before…" "exactly," He said leaning the rest of the way back. He folded his arms behind his head, leaving his hat resting on his abdomen, "I know where it is…and its going to take us another day or two to get there, maybe even less if we have no delays…as for whats going to happen? I'm not too sure."

"Well that's comforting," She said sarcastically, "A clueless journey." "Oi, I'm just as clueless as you," Hatter retaliated, then his voice softened, "Like I said before…The stag has been around for a few thousand years…lets trust him for now. He knows what he's doing…now get some rest, love. We got a long day ahead of us."

It wasn't long before Alice was asleep. Hatter was nowhere close to sleep though…The scar on his back burned mercilessly every now and again, and it deprived him of the sleep he so desperately needed. Also, it didn't help much that he had this uneasy feeling that they were being watched…it was for that reason he kept his guns close by and chose to settle himself closer to the sleeping girl. If he was going to be awake most of the night, he may as well make use of the time and keep watch. The light from the fire was sure to attract all kinds of creatures, but he wouldn't dare turn it off, at least for her sake.

Hatter sighed and stared up at the sky. There were no stars tonight…there hadn't been stars since all this mess had started spreading across Wonderland like a cancer…There wasn't even a moon. The sky was simply just black…

The only thing that graced the sky with its presence was the sun…and he knew that even the sun was running out of time.

This hurt Hatter deeply, knowing how close his world was to total destruction and how little time he had to fix it…no, not him. Them.

He looked down at Alice sleeping peacefully in the warmth of the fire, a gentle blend of shadow and light dancing across her form in response to the graceful dancing of the fire itself.

Hatter had never really questioned the Stag, at least not until now…He couldn't help but wonder why…

Why him? Why her? And how? How could he, a former tea-shop owner, and she, a strange, clueless girl from another world, be the answer to Wonderlands problems?

He thought about the markings they beared, his on his arm and hers on her chest…The branch and the leaves.

Leaves…small and fragile things, but yet provide all living things with shade, shelter, food, and grace the land with beauty…but without the branch to uphold it, it would wither away. The branch…on its own it is strong, but it is also miserable and barren without the beauty of leaves to crown it and give it life.

'_A clever comparison…'_ he thought to himself, rubbing his hand where the mark was on his right arm, '_Very clever…I'm impressed.'_

His gaze shifted upwards towards the empty black skies, '_What are you planning…Have you, yourself, finally gone mad, relying on a conman like myself and some otherworldly stranger? What abilities can we possibly possess that make us of such great use to you? Or is it she,' _He looked down at Alice, '_who is of use to you...and am I just here to keep her safe…no, that's not it…' _

The leaf and the branch…

He sighed and looked down at the ground. His mind wandered to the wound on his back, stinging slightly from the cold.

' _I don't know how long I will last,' _He silently prayed, '_Please…at least give me the strength to fight it off until she is safe…until we are all safe…'_ He couldn't bear the thought of breaking his promise to protect her, even if he didn't mean to do so, and just thinking of the horrified look on the girls face upon seeing him for what he was slowly becoming made him want to cringe.

Alice shifted, maneuvering herself into a more comfortable position before continuing her peaceful rest.

Sleep sounded real nice right about now…but his body continued to deny him that pleasure.

With a heavy sigh, he stretched himself out beside Alice, but with a respectable distance between them. He wanted to be close enough so he could still protect her, but far enough so that she wouldn't be weirded out. After all, they had only known each other for a day…

His gaze shifted upwards towards the skies once more for a brief second before he rested his head down on his arms and shut his eyes, _' I hope you know what you're doing…'_

_

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**A/N: Thanks so much for bearing with me through this boring thing. You guys really are awesome, I love you all ^_^**


	6. Chapter 6

_**A/N: Diddnt want it to get boring…so Im kind of speeding things up here…not too fast, don't worry, I just don't want to lose sight of where the story is going. That tends to happen when too many fillers are involved. Fluff moment followed by action in this here chapter. Please try to enjoy! I know it sucks :(**_

**(6)**

"_i'm not afraid of tomorrow,  
i'm only scared of my self,  
feels like my insides are on fire, _

_and i'm looking through the eyes of someone else"_

_~SR-71, Tomorrow_

"_You cant keep running like this," She told him, feeling his heart race at a most unhealthy speed, "You'll die."_

_She heard him grunt, felt his grip loosen before finally letting go, "I'll be fine. I made it this far. Lets go. We aint got much time…Its almost here…and you n-need…t-to-" He hacked and she heard the thud of his body hitting the ground._

_She opened her mouth to scream, but no sound came out._

_She fell to her knees, hands searching desperately for him, but he was not there…all she could feel was grass._

_Hot tears fell down her face as fear gripped her once more. _

_The blood red sky above her suddenly went black…_

_She could hear heavy breathing above her own sobs…breathing that clearly wasn't hers._

"_Hatter?" She called into the darkness, feeling around once more. Nothing but grass still. She made her way towards the sound. The breathing grew heavier, more frantic, followed by a series of growls. "Hatter? Is that you? Where are you! Are you okay! Answer me please!"She sobbed._

_A pair of ruby red eyes stopped her in her tracks…Long, almond shaped eyes, and large…very very large. They obviously belonged to some massive creature._

_~ Game over, Alice ~ A deep voice roared in her head, loud enough to make her head pound in pain. She fell backwards, gripping her head and screaming in fear. The red eyed beast before her pulled its lips back in a hideous snarl. Its shimmering white teeth were visible in the darkness. _

_With a howl, it leapt forward towards her._

Alice screamed, sitting up suddenly. It was dark, she couldn't see a thing. She could feel wind blowing hard. Fear gripped her chest as she started to pant. "No! No! NO!" She cried, trying to stand but her legs were too shaky. "Alice!" a voice called, followed by a pair of strong arms winding themselves around her thin frame. Her eyes widened, "NO! Let me go! LET ME GO!" She squirmed, trying to escape from whatever creature held her captive.

"Alice! Calm down, Please! Its me! Its Hatter!"

Alice stopped squirming, "H-Hatter? Wha-" "Shh. Calm down. Talk later," Hatter said trying to keep his voice as gentle as he possibly could. Alice shut her eyes tightly, trying hard to clear her mind, willing her heartbeat and breathing to slow down to their normal pace. Her body was shivering, but she couldn't help that. It was freezing.

"Come on, we have to get moving, we cant stay here." He said to her, releasing his hold on her.

"What? Why?" She asked, fear still clear in her voice, "Its way too early."

"You had a nightmare," Hatter said. She could hear the sound of him saddling up the horse, "That's almost like a neon sign proclaiming 'HEY I'M HERE' to whatever is following us. Why do you think the wind picked up? They bring their curse with them wherever they go…and judging by this wind, they're too close for comfort." He finished saddling the horse and mounted it, "come on, get on. You can sleep, I'll worry about getting us safe."

Alice stood, balancing herself by leaning one hand against the giant oak tree beside them. She felt Hatters hand brush against her shoulder, "Come on, love."

"I cant see…"

"I know…it'll take you a while to get used to it."

He felt her hand slip into his and instantly he pulled her up onto the horse, seating her infront of him as always. He sat closer to her this time, using his body warmth to stop her shivering. Kicking the horse into a steady trot, they made their way out of their campsite.

Alice hugged herself, trying to rub the goosebumps away from her arms, but they diddnt seem to want to leave. There was an eerie chill creeping up her spine, and she diddnt like it at all…

It was almost as if they were being persued…

* * *

The sun seemed a little brighter, and the world much happier the further they traveled on. Judging by the feel of it all, it was clear to Alice that nightmares haven't been able to reach this far yet. For once, she actually felt somewhat safe…so safe, in fact, that she insisted on walking instead of riding. The air was cold still, but the beauty of the day seemed to make her forget that.

Hatter walked alongside her. Though he felt safe here aswell, there was still that urge to protect her, despite knowing she had the capability of defending herself. Alice shook her head a little at this, yet couldn't help but find it rather adorable.

It wasn't much longer until they were finally clear of trees and woods and had reached an open valley. Hatter sighed in relief at this. Although they were more exposed, it was much easier to spot any danger when there was nothing for said danger to hide behind…and they were under the protection of constant sunlight.

Alice was too busy marveling at the beauty of the land around her to even think about the benefits of finding this open land. Just yesterday, everything was dull and cold, and seeing this place now, it was almost as if they had found paradise.

"Its good to see that at least this valley still stands," Hatter said to her with a small smile on his face as his dark eyes scanned the world around them, "This is one of the most sacred plots of land in all of wonderland…"

"How so?" Alice asked curiously, tearing her eyes away from the valley to meet his. "This place is where the Stag makes his home…or where he used to…who knows where he is now but, these valleys…they sing."

"Sing? As in music??" There was clear disbelief in her voice, enough so to make Hatter chuckle. "Yes, they sing…" he said, then his expression suddenly changed to sadness, "but they've long stopped singing sing he left...no ones heard a tune come from here in years."

They made their way through the forgotten paradise, stopping briefly only to eat and to allow the horse some graze time before heading out again.

As the day went on, Alice's mood seemed to have spiked up. Hatter diddnt think he could ever see her so happy. '_Must be the valley…who wouldn't be happy here?'_ He thought to himself, but he knew all too well that he wasn't very happy…he couldn't be, considering all the things he had constantly nagging at the back of his mind, one of which he was sure he had to talk to Alice about before it got too far.

He had already begun to feel fatigued during the day…so much so that he had decided to ride most of the day instead of walk. Alice diddnt seem to take notice of this. She merely thought he had finally realized that it was okay for her to walk alone, and Hatter preferred that she thought so. The last thing he wanted was for her to worry about him…

As the night fell, Hatter felt much more energized, and this level of energy continued to rise as the sun set. He bustled about, collecting various twigs and leaves from bushes that he could find, and if he was lucky to find a tree, he would take a couple small branches. He returned with armfuls of material to burn way before Alice was able to finish building a pit. "That was fast," She commented. Hatter smiled, but quickly frowned as a strange noise emitted from Alice's midriff. She wrapped an arm around herself to silence it quickly, blushing as she looked down. "You okay?" Hatter asked, kneeling before her. "yeah…just a little hungry." She responded shyly. "Oh! Why diddnt you say so!" Hatter reached into one of the horses saddle bags to retrieve a handgun. "Hatter, don't, were not equipped to cook anything. I'll be fine with what we-" A finger on her lips silenced her instantly. Hatter side smiled, "I'm not about to let you go hungry, love." "But-" she protested, but Hatter silenced her again. "I'll be right back," He said with a wink before running off.

If there was one thing Alice wasn't used to, it was being spoiled…and spoiling her is exactly what Hatter has been doing for the past couple of days. Needless to say, she did enjoy it…quite a lot actually. She's never met a man so willing to wait on a woman without so much as a second thought.

A gunshot fired in the distance, followed by a piercing screech. Alice's heart skipped a beat, afraid maybe that Hatter may have hurt himself. She stood and called out to him, "HATTER! HEY WHERE ARE YOU!" "I'm all right!" She heard him respond, which brought a sense of relief to her. She sat back down and continued her work on the fire pit.

Hatter returned quickly with some strange animal on his arm…thick grey fur, long legs, long ears and…antlers?

"What is that?!" Alice was clearly in shock at the odd creature in his arms. "Jackalope!" Hatter responded with a cheery tone. "Jackalope?? Those are real? In my world-" "ah but this aint your world is it." Hatter cut her off. Alice looked at him, then at the carcass, then back at him. He wore that charming, prideful smile once again. Alice laughed and shook her head.

Alice couldn't remember the last time she ate so well. With a full stomach, she was able to sleep quite peacefully.

This night, she dreamt…

_Alice could see stars and a bright silver moon bathing the land with its heavenly light. Fireflies fluttered over the tall grass, making each individual blade sway in tandem with their elegant dance. Hatter slept soundly by the dying fire. She seized this opportunity and wandered away from the camp. She diddnt like the idea of leaving him there by himself, nor did she like the idea of him angry at her for wandering away from him…but for some reason, she felt it would be okay._

'_Alice…' A soothing voice called to her. She knew this voice…_

'_Don't be afraid…come closer.' It said. _

_Alice made her way towards the voice, walking uphill towards the silhouette of a large stag lying on the ground, its great head staring up towards the sky. He was not the ethereal white figure she met previously…he was much more…mortal. Under the light of the stars and moon, she could see his brown and beige coloring. His eyes were bright gold, like hot embers inlaid into the sides of his massive head. His antlers were as enormous as she had remembered._

'_Beautiful, isn't it?' He said as she approached. His eyes never left the stars, and when he spoke, his mouth diddnt move. 'This was my home…my first creation. A little piece of paradise…a refuge to all who needed an escape from the madness…As you can clearly see, it can still be found…you just have to know where to look.'_

"_What do you mean by that?"Alice asked. The stag shifted his gaze from the stars, looking directly at her, 'You have a very open mind, little one…which is why you were able to find this place…there are very very few who are as lucky as you are at this very moment.' He stood up, towering over Alice by quite a few feet, 'It is quite lonely here sometimes…your people, always so caught up in their daily life don't always have the time to come here and unwind…to seek a haven in which nothing matters but their own happiness…and they've taken the children with them too.'_

_Alice diddnt understand…as wise and majestic as the stag was, he really did have an odd way of saying things. _

_As if sensing her confusion, he chuckled, his eyes reflecting the smile in his voice, 'You'll understand soon enough, little one...' His gaze turned back towards the stars, 'Go back. There is someone who will be missing you if he realizes you're gone.' _

_Alice looked over in the direction of their camp, then back to the stag, "Can I just ask you a few things first?" 'all in due time, Alice…shh…listen…can you hear it?' He said, shutting his eyes as a warm breeze caressed his long face. Alice could hear something faint in the breeze as it blew gently past her ears…_

"_What is it?"_

'_Hope…Answered prayers…a new beginning…'_

_Alice listened intently as the sound grew a little louder…_

_Music…_

_She could hear music…_

Music…

Faint at first, but rose in volume as time went on. Her eyes fluttered open. It took her a moment to focus…

She sat up, looking over in the direction from which the music came, then quickly turned to Hatter, asleep some distance away from her, and shook him, "Hatter! Wake up! Listen!"

It took him a while to come to…he was so groggy from his lack of sleep but once his eyes were open, he was wide awake. "What is it? Whats wrong?" He asked, sitting up and taking hold of her arm, fearing something may have happened while he dozed off. Alice laughed, "nothing is wrong. Listen!" At first, Hatter diddnt understand, until a faint wisp of music caught his ear. He stiffened, his eyes grew wide in disbelief…

"no…no, It cant be…come on!" He jumped up and pulled her to her feet. Keeping a hold on her hand, he ran with her towards the source of the sound, his feet flying beneath him at a speed he never thought was possible for him…

Could it be?

How?

He had to see it for himself before he could believe it.

This had to be some sort of dream.

As they peaked atop a steep hill, Hatter nearly dropped to his knees at the sight before him…

Fireflies, everywhere, flying low atop the tall grass. The grass swayed back and forth, as though dancing to the music emitting from the earth. Slow, gentle music…very peaceful to hear.

Alice looked over at Hatter, who stood there staring at the sight before him with a smile on his face that she had never seen before. It was peaceful, serene and…happy. "Hatter?" She said, trying to get his attention. "Small little rays of hope, those flies are… Look how many there are…the more there are, the more incredible their music is…" He said softly, giving Alices hand a gentle squeeze.

After a moment, he turned to her and held out his other hand, "Madam? May I have this dance?"

Alice cocked an eyebrow with a smile, "You can dance?"

"You'd be surprised." He said, giving her a charming smile she couldn't seem to resist.

"I cant, though…"

"Its not difficult. Here," He placed one of her hands on his shoulder, and held the other up while his free hand found her waist, pulling her close to him, not enough where they made contact, but enough to make her blush. "loosen up a little, and just follow my lead, yah?" She nooded.

He started off with a slow sway, just to get her comfortable before moving his feet. He was amazed at how fast she picked it up…so fast than before they knew it, they were everywhere, spinning, dipping, everything…all in perfect time with the music that surrounded them.

They were engulfed in the tune, their moves becoming more intense and passionate as the music swelled, and smaller and slower as the music softened. For the first time since her arrival, Alice was happy…Never before had she felt this happy or this free all at the same time. Hatter was amazed at how freely she laughed and smiled, and how comfortable she had suddenly become with him.

He diddnt know when it happened, but sometime during their dance, their bodies had finally made contact, and he hadn't realized it until now as he held her to him, his arm around her back and his cheek pressed against hers. They could feel the warm breath of the other against their faces…

The music kept playing but their dancing had long stopped…and for a while they held eachother this way, relishing the feel of the others warmth…

Alice let go of his hand, winding both her arms around his neck in a warm embrace that made him gasp…never before has a woman held him this way. He could almost feel everything she was feeling, just with this one gesture…

His free hand gently ran down her back and side, followed by the feeling of lips brushing against her temple, emitting a small shiver from her.

"Alice…" He softly whispered.

As if her name was her cue, she tilted back to look into his handsome brown eyes. She could see something there that was never there before…the way he looked at her with such amazement...

Her hand found the side of his face and he leaned into her touch, but diddnt take his eyes away from hers. He was searching her…searching for something he needed, something hes always wanted but has always been denied…Its only been two days, he knew that very well, but to him it felt like it was much much longer...he felt as though he had known her forever. In those two days, she had come to know him better than anyone else involved in his life, and he had come to know her extremely well in return…

He leaned towards her, stopping when he felt her breath on his lips. He could feel her heart pounding against his chest, feel her shivering nervously against him. Was she afraid?

"Do you trust me?" He whispered softly. It took her a moment, but she nodded, "I do…"

"Good…" He said gently, closing the distance between them. The kiss was soft and featherlight, but it was enough to melt Alice away…one single kiss was all it took…

Alice always thought herself to be a strong girl, one who was not easily broken…but this single kiss stripped her of all her defenses, leaving her bare and vulnerable. Vulnerability was not something she'd felt before, especially this level…but oddly enough, she was okay with it.

She sank into his embrace, returning his gentle kiss without hesitation, but to her surprise, Hatter broke away from her. She could feel his arms tighten around her…more protective than affectionate. His eyes were torn away from her and searching the land around them.

"Whats wrong?" She asked, but he diddnt answer.

There was a very annoying tingle creeping along the scar on his back…he knew exactly what it meant, but here? It couldn't be so…

The music had long stopped…the dancing lights were gone.

Hatters heart skipped. "We have to get out of here," He said. The urgency in his voice scared her, "Hatter, What is it?"

"Run," Was all he said before taking her hand and breaking off into a run towards camp. Alice ran beside him. She was confused, very confused, but she knew she had to trust him, especially when he felt something was wrong.

Hatter diddnt know what happened…

One second he was running, the next he was pinned to the ground staring into a pair of gleaming red eyes. The beast above him snarled, its long claws digging into his shoulders, "Where is she!!"

When he diddnt respond, the beast roared and tossed him aside looking around for any trace of Alice. Hatters heart pounded furiously against his chest….if that thing so much as touched her, it would all be over. Fear gripped him, a sickening fear that consumed his mind and narrowed his vision. His senses heightened…he could see clearly, though it was dark, his hearing was almost strong enough to hear a butterflys wing beat...

A primal growl, unlike any a human could possibly make, escaped Hatters lips as he charged forward at an inhuman speed. His mind was set on one thing and one thing only…Kill.

Kill kill kill kill kill kill kill

From her distance, Alice could see the large, shadowy creature approaching her. She could hear it sniffing for her…searching for her scent like a dog on the hunt. She tried to sneak away as quietly as she could, but the slightest bit of movement, she knew, would give her away…

She focused on keeping herself wrapped up as tightly as she could in her black cloak…hoping, praying, that they would both get out of here alive…

A loud cry, followed by the thud of bodies hitting the ground caught Alices attention. She looked up to see hatter fighting the creature with his bare hands. He was repeatedly scratched, kicked and bitten…and Alice knew very well what happened to those who were touched by these things. "Hatter!" She called but her calls fell on deaf ears.

Hatters single goal was to destroy any flesh that came in contact with him…

Alice felt something in her stomach turn at the sight of his ferocity…the beast was dead, but even so, Hatter continued to beat the carcass, ripping and tearing the ink black creature into a poisonous mess….Where its parts landed, plants withered away and died.

Something was wrong…she could feel it in the air that surrounded them.

"Hatter?" Alice called, approaching slowly, "Hatter…are you okay?" Instinct screamed at her to stay away, but she couldn't help it.

His head whipped around and Alices heart froze at the sight of his fire red eyes and sharp silver grin.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Couldn't help myself in this chapter…had to do it…don't understand? You will see why….be sure to read the recap at the end! :D though this is a filler (and then some), Im actually pretty happy with it, I hope you are aswell! Took me a day or two to plan! FLUFF!**

**(7)**

"_Walking through a dream, I see you._

_My light in darkness, breathing hope of new life._

_Now I live through you and you through me, enchanting…_

_I pray in my heart that this dream never ends."_

_~ " I see you" by Leona Lewis (from James Cameron's 'AVATAR')_

His primal appearance frightened her….

His breathing was heavy, his eyes were latched onto hers…she could see the mixture of negative emotions behind them…

"Alice..." He hissed, but it wasn't a vicious hiss. It was…pleading… "Please…don't…r-ru-" He started to hack and snarl as pain shot through his body. He could feel his muscles tearing as his limbs tried to stretch to a longer length. He cried out in pain and flung himself onto his knees, digging, clawing, kicking and punching at the ground out of reflex to the agony coursing through his body right now.

He was wild…mad…

Alice took a few steps back. Part of her wanted to run, the other wanted to stay and help him…she diddnt know which one to listen to. She was afraid…the safety she felt around him was completely shattered at the violent display she had just witnessed. She diddnt know if it was safe to approach him or not…or even touch him...

With one last cry, Hatter collapsed, breathing heavily. His head was turned towards her, his eyes just barely open enough to make contact with hers.

"A-a-li-ce…" He stuttered, reaching out to her…

She ran.

* * *

Soft light pierced his eyelids and roused him from his sleep. As he came to, he became aware of his surroundings…the tall grass brushing against his face, the cold breeze stinging his skin, the pain and tension in his muscles. His eyes cracked open slightly, which he quickly shut again as the light shocked his eyes. He waited few seconds before opening them again. It took him a minute to adjust and register his surroundings. This definitely wasn't their camp…

Where was the camp?

Wheres the horse? Wheres Alice?

Alice!

He sat up quickly, and just as quickly regretted doing so as pain surged through his ice cold, aching body. He growled low in his chest as he hugged himself and rubbed his arms fiercely, desperate for some form of warmth to get his blood flowing the right way again, but he diddnt have time to just sit around and warms himself up…Alice was gone, and he had to find her.

Forcing himself to stand, he bit his lower lip hard enough to almost draw blood as is frozen muscles stretched themselves out, biting harder with each cautious step he took. Moving…that's what would help, he had to keep moving, get blood flowing…but it hurt so damn much!

"Alice!" He called as he limped his way through the tall grass, "Alice! Where are you!" While walking, he stumbled across his hat. It was beaten and torn, and no longer wearable. He stared at it sadly and ran one hand through his wild hair where his hat once was, missing the feeling of it…

With a heavy sigh, he dropped it and continued his search. There was something much more important to attend to than his beaten up hat.

He searched for what seemed like hours, calling and calling with no response. He began to grow afraid that something might have happened to her…

"Alice! Alice please answer me! Where are you! Are you okay?! Alice!" His desperate call was answered by the distant whinny of a horse.

Hopeful, he broke into a run in the direction of the sound, ignoring the pain in his legs and forcing them to pump as fast as they could without stop until he found the source of the sound…and he did. There she was, sitting all by her lonesome by a small creek with the horse beside her. He gripped his chest in relief as he approached her, "oh thank god…Ali-"

"Get back!" She roared suddenly as she whipped around, barrel of a gun pointed straight at him. He stopped dead in his tracks, eyes wide with shock, "Alice? I don't understand."

"Don't come any closer!" She cocked the gun, "or I swear I'll shoot!"

Hatter was confused, and hurt by her actions. What was the matter with her?

He held out his hands to her, "Alice, it's okay. It's me. It's Hatter."

"You lied to me!" She roared in response.

"Lied? How could I?" he was shocked by her accusation…how could he ever lie to her?

"I saw what you're becoming, Hatter! I saw it last night! I saw you looking at your back the other morning! That thing scratched you diddnt it?! It infected you! Now you're one of them! You're one of those things! How do I know I can trust you now?! How do I know you're not leading me into some trap?! Who are you really, 'Hatter'?!!"

He winced at the sarcastic tone in her voice as she said his name…but that diddnt hurt him as much as losing her trust did…

'so she saw it…' he thought to himself as he fixed his gaze onto the ground and ran a hand through his hair uncomfortably and sighed, "I should have told you sooner…but I diddnt want to frighten you upon meeting you. I was hoping to get this whole thing over and done with before I ran out of time so that you would never have to see it." His eyes found hers once more, "Alice, I'm still me…I'm still the same guy….and I would never do anything to hurt you. I made you a promise to get you home safe and sound and I'm a man of my word. Whether you trust me or not, I'm going to get you home."

"How do I know you're not lying!"

"look around you, Alice. Havent you noticed that the further we get, the brighter it becomes? Do you not remember last night? These valleys, which have not sung in who knows how long, were singing again!" He exclaimed as he gestured to their surroundings with aching, shaky arms.

Alice lowered her gun slowly, but did not take her hands off the trigger. Her eyes remained locked on him…just in case…

Hatter took a step towards her, "Look…I know what you may have seen last night scared you…trust me, I'm even scared of myself…but infected or not, I would never dream of hurting you. You believe that don't you?"

She stayed silent as he took a few more steps toward her, but still kept a respectable distance, "I care about you, Alice…and I'm sorry I kept this from you, I truly am, but you understand why I did don't you?"

Alice dropped her weapon to her side and turned herself away. She wanted to believe him…she wanted to trust him…but something inside her stopped her from doing so. All her life, she has always had an issue with trust. She has always been backstabbed and lied to, and as a result, she became a very untrusting person…

But there was something about Hatter…in just 2 days time, she was ready to trust him with her life….but he still lied to her. He was one of those things…she cant trust him.

But she wanted to. For the first time in her life, she is willing to entrust her life with another person…

Her mind wandered to last night…the way he held her in his arms, the sincere look in his eyes…the way he kissed her, so gentle it was as though he thought she might break. There was so much care and sincerity in that one kiss, enough to make her knees buckle even now as she thought about it. They had just met and yet it felt so natural to the both of them…

Alice hugged herself, trying so hard to ignore the seemingly endless war inside of her, with no avail.

She heard a sigh from behind her, followed by a pair of warm hands on her shoulders. Alice shivered at the contact but made no attempt to pull away. "Alice," His voice was gentle and patient, "please don't push me away…right now I'm all you've got…and you're all I have." At this last statement, Alice turned slightly to look at him with one blue eye. Hatter felt his heart flutter with hope as she finally made eye contact with him, somewhat. A small smile appeared on his face as he continued to speak, "I promise, I would never do anything to hurt you…I would no sooner hurt you than myself…do you believe me?"

Alice turned completely to face him…his hands never left her shoulders.

"What's going to happen to you?" She finally said. Hatter was a little disappointed that she avoided his question, but chose to push no further…if he was going to gain her trust back, it would have to be with patience and space…and a lot of it.

His hands slid off her shoulders and to his sides as he pondered her question and how to answer it…

What WAS going to happen to him? Though he acted fine, his body was in so much pain, and he was dizzy and fatigued…he was becoming more sensitive to the sunlight as time went on, and he was getting sicker the more he fought it off…

What was going to happen? Did he still have time?

The temple shouldn't be that far from here…he should be okay for a while once they reach it.

"I've still got time," He finally said, "Once we reach the old temple, I'll be okay. Remember how I said there was a cure? I'm sure he will know…" Hatters voice was confident, but the look in his eyes weren't…

He was lying to her again. She knew she couldn't trust him…

She turned away and walked towards the horse, already saddled up and ready to go, "We should get going then…if what you say is true, of course." She diddnt mean for it to sound as cruel as it came out, but it made both their hearts clench in pain. Hatter sighed heavily and looked down. He could feel his heart breaking, and it wasn't a pleasant feeling.

Still, though…despite his heartbreak, he had to keep his promise. He was a man of his word, and he was determined to show Alice that he can be trusted, that he meant everything he said, and that his kiss was no lie…

He took his place behind her on their horse and reached around her to grip the reins. He felt her shiver as his arms brushed against her sides. She was cold, and he wanted nothing more than to sit much closer to her and offer up his warmth, but he figured it would be best not to…patience and space, patience and space….

With a kick, the horse started forward.

The ride was uncomfortably silent…

* * *

They could hear the sound of waves crashing against rocks, gulls cawing in the distance. Hatters newly sharpened senses picked up the sweet aroma of sea water minutes before Alice did. "The ocean?" She asked incredulously. "Were here," Hatter responded, much more solemnly than cheerful. The day felt much warmer, the sun was brighter, and the world was lively…but despite all that, Hatter couldn't help but feel nervous. As the neared the top of a steep hill, Hatter pulled the horse to a stop and dismounted. "Stay here," He said to Alice. "Why?" She responded, her tone defiant. Hatter looks up at her, his gaze as stern as his voice, "I'm going to go down first. If its safe, I'll call you."

"I thought you said-"

"Nevermind what I said! This is the most sacred place in the land, and the people will fight to protect it…they will kill their own families if it means protecting this place." He gestured down the hill towards the ruins of a once, ancient temple. Alice had to pull the horse slightly forward to see it…it was a magnificent structure, even crumbled. The protective walls around it had been destroyed through time. Tombs of ancient rulers lined the sides of the cobblestone walkway leading straight into the temple itself. The marble walls gleamed in the sunlight, and atop the structure stood the form of a rearing stag, its intricate antlers made of solid gold. The stag looked as though it had been untouched by time. The Temple itself sat at the edge of a shallow cliff overlooking the vast ocean. It was truly a sight to behold.

"Please," Hatters voice ripped her away from the wonder before her. His voice was much softer now, "I want to make sure its safe…these days, we cant be too careful, even here. Just stay put for now…I will call you down once I know its okay." His voice was very gentle and sincere…even after the way she treated him and spoke to him that morning…

Alice hesitated, then nodded, and with that as his cue, Hatter turned and headed downhill.

Alice watched him as he slowly approached the ruins, taking steps as light as possible as to not make any unnecessary noise. He almost looked like a cat on the prowl, the way he moved so slowly, the way his eyes scanned in every which way. Even his ears were alert, she noted, the way he stopped and listened every now and again. He was very animalistic in the way he moved, listened, and stopped to smell the breeze for any alien scents…she knew it had to be because of the infection, turning him into one of those beasts. Instincts long dead in the human mind seemed to resurface in those who were infected…and this was very clear in Hatter as she watched him now.

He disappeared behind the ragged curtain covering the entrance to the main temple itself. The wooden doorway was destroyed, she could see by the planks of wood that lay around the entrance…this curtain was slightly worn, but did very well at shielding the inside of the temple from the elements.

She waited nervously, her eyes never leaving the doorway, hoping to see him emerge again. She didn't like being out here by herself…especially with what happened the night before, she knew she couldn't be safe, even here.

A minute passed, then two. Her heart began to pound. Was something in there? Did it grab him?

Something was wrong…

Taking hold of the horses reins, she was just about to spur the horse into a run when Hatters familiar form emerged unharmed from the temple much more confidently than when he went in. He waved at her, signaling her to come down, and she readily obliged.

He ran to meet her halfway and took the reins from her hands, leading the horse to an area by the temple where he could tie the creature up. Alice helped him unsaddle and unpack, careful not to make too much of a mess. She kept everything neatly organized by one of the broken walls. There would be no need to build a fire tonight, they would be sleeping indoors for the first time since her arrival.

"Alice," Hatter called to her, turning her away from their materials. He had a smile on his face, "come on. Let me show you around…" Alice walked towards him with a small smile of her own, much to his surprise.

With a hand gently rested on her lower back to guide her, he showed her around the ruins, painting an elaborate picture for her with his words on the history of their world and how everything came to be, who these ancient rulers resting on these grounds were, and why they were so famous. Most of the script engraved into the marble was in an ancient language, and Hatter surprised her by translating this ancient tongue…and speaking it himself.

"This place," He said as they walked towards the main temple, "they call it 'Makatok'…it is a name in the native tongue of the child whos dream started all of this….it means 'it was said long ago'. It was how they begun to tell all of their grand tales…this place marks the beginning of a very grand tale, hence its name."

Alice chuckled, "You're a skilled storyteller." There was that prideful smile again, "I try."

As they approached the entryway to the great marble building, Alice stopped dead in her tracks…it was dark behind that curtain…her distrust began to resurface again. As if sensing it, Hatter wrapped his arm around her shoulders and held her close to him, "It'll be okay."

"Whats in there?" She asked, more distrusting than she would have hoped, but it didn't phase him. He only held her tighter, "just hold on to me, I'll be right here." To his surprise, Alice slipped her arm around his waist. She was actually listening to him? Was she trusting him again? He hoped so…

He opened the curtain all the way to let in some of the late afternoon sun. The main room lit up with sunlight, exposing the intricate designs and paintings on the wall, illustrating the history of Wonderland. The room was much larger and much taller than she had expected, large enough to comfortably accommodate a few hundred people. On the floor was the image of a rearing stag, much like the statue at the top of the temple. A steep staircase lead up to a solid gold altar. Behind the altar was the image of a tree branch, crowned by three golden leaves. Alice had to resist reaching up to her shoulder to touch the mark stained into her skin…

There were two doors behind the Altar and one beside the staircase, but they didn't bother exploring that side of the temple yet…for now, they were too busy admiring the artistic beauty around them.

There were lanterns lining the walls…but she knew those would be lit later when it got darker. Right now, there was no need to waste fire while there was sunlight.

"Its almost as if time hadn't even touched this place…" Hatter said in a soft tone. He looked down towards Alice with a gentle smile, and she smiled back.

That night after filling themselves with leftover Jackelope, Hatter lit a few of the lanterns in the temple. Not enough to completely illuminate the entire place, but enough to provide a dim lighting and comfortable warmth…

While sitting in a corner by the stairway, Hatter entertained Alice with old stories while they both sipped a much needed cup of soothing tea he cleverly brewed over one of the burning lanterns. Alice was amazed at Hatters way with words, the way he could paint an elaborate image in ones mind so they could see exactly what he sees and how he sees it…He was very energetic aswell, and often had to stand up and pace while he told a story, his arms adding emphasis to most things as well as his voice.

" 'You betrayed me!' The cat exclaimed 'how could you! we made a promise!'", Hatter said as he settled himself down to finish his final story, " But no matter what the Dog said in return, nor how many apologies he made, the cat would not listen. In a fury, the cat ran away and quickly, the dog followed…" He stopped to take a sip of his tea before concluding his story, "And still, to this day, the Dog chases the Cat in hopes that the Cat will forgive him and be his friend once again."***

"Wow," Alice said, "Where did you hear that story?" Hatter took another sip from his tea before answering, "Me mum used to tell me that story all the time when I was a boy. It was my favorite." He finished off is tea and set is cup aside, watching Alice as she did the same. She yawned widely, clearly exhausted from the days events. Hatter quickly removed his jacket and folded it into a bundle. "here," he said as he handed it to her, "rest your head on this…it'll be much more comfortable." Alice was taken aback by this sudden chivalrous act...so much so that she hesitated on taking the jacket. "It aint gonna bite ya, love, 's just a jacket," He said with a chuckle. She reached out, their hands brushing as she took hold of the jacket. Both their hearts fluttered at the contact…

Her hands were so soft, and his…so warm…

She couldn't bring herself to remove her hands, shivering slightly as he began to softly stroke her fingers with his own. His fingertips softly caressed her hand then started making their way up her arm, stopping at the crook in between her shoulder and collarbone where the pattern of three leaves stained her skin…two fingers shyly hooked themselves around the collar of her shirt before he stopped.

He looked to her for any sign of wanting him to stop. When he saw none, he gently pulled at her collar until he revealed the mark as plain as day on her smooth, fair skin. He softly touched the larger leaf in the center, tracing it with his fingertips. Alice watched him as he did so, loving the feeling of his hand on her skin much more than she thinks she should have…

"Alice…" He said softly, tracing his fingers over her collarbone, "I'm sorry you had to get mixed up in this whole mess…I truly am…" His hand finally found her face, gently stroking her cheek for a few brief moments before he pulled his hand away.

"It's okay," She said, just as softly, pulling herself closer to him. Her hand reached up to brush a lock of hair behind his ear, "I got some good out of it."

"what would that be?" His heart was pounding in his ears right now…he didn't know what she was doing to him, or why, all he knew was that he liked it.

"Finding you…" Her hand pulled his face toward her own, but Hatter stopped just as their lips brushed. "Alice, I-" He began but was quickly silenced by her finger and a gentle "shhhhh", followed by her hand on the side of his neck, "I trust you, Hatter..."

Without hesitation, his hand slipped behind her head, pulling her into a passionate kiss like neither of them have ever experienced. Alice had never felt so helpless and dominated in her life, but with Hatter, she knew it would be okay…she knew that if she asked him to stop, he would do so in an instant, and so she made no attempt to resist him.

They soon found themselves on the ground, Alice on her back with her head on Hatters jacket with Hatter above her on his hands and knees. He stopped quickly and looked down at her…

Both of them knew all too well what would come next if they kept going…but Hatter refused to go any further if she didn't want to take it that far just yet. "Alice…" He whispered her name in between breathless pants. Alice stared up into his eyes, her hands gently running over his strong chest. "I know…" She said in response, seeing the question burning behind his eyes, "Its okay, Hatter…I trust you completely." He smiled down at her and she could see the love and adoration for her in his eyes…so much so it made her feel weak. Words were no longer needed…at least not now.

He bent down to press a gentle, loving kiss against her lips.

She trusted him...she trusted him!

He couldn't remember the last time he felt so happy…he couldn't recall any time in his life where a woman laughed in his arms so genuinely, and he came to realize that he loved it. He loved hearing her laughter, because it meant she was happy aswell…and what made it even better was that she was happy because of HIM…because of something HE did right.

They lay together afterwards, stretched out on the warm floor, her back to his front, his arms wrapped warmly and protectively around her. She was dressed in her pants but his long sleeve silk shirt. He didn't mind letting her use it…in fact, he found it quite adorable that she wanted to borrow something of his. He was wearing his pants, his long black jacket the only thing shielding his bare skin from the open air.

Hatter sighed into her hair as he held her, loving how nicely she fit against him, as if their bodies were shaped specifically to fit against eachother…

He held her tighter and sighed again, "I love you…"

Alice gasped lightly at his words and turned to face him. She could see it in his eyes that his words were no lie, nor were they an exaggeration…She has never seen so much love in someone before…she didn't even know it was possible to have that much love for someone….

But it was…because looking at him now, staring into those handsome brown eyes, she knew that she felt it too…

She pressed a soft kiss against his lips, "I love you too…"

_*****(a fable, 'Why the Dog chases the Cat'. For the full story, PM me, I love telling stories myself :D )**_

**A/N: Had to do it! HAD TO HAD TO HAD TO HAD TO HAD TO it was knowing at the back of my wee li'l mind! I just had to get it out! Will I write the "missing" part? Dunno yet…maybe…depends…**

**The next chapter is gonna nosedive back into the storyline. I got quite a few things planned for the next one…but for now I just had to get this baby out of me before I exploded. Please R&R!**

**Love you guys!**

**~RWD**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: It's a long one this time, my friends…kinda got carried away and forgot I had to split this story in to chapters HAHA…but in order to let this one finish the way I wanted it to, it kinda had to drag on a bit :/**

**Bear with me! D:**

**I also want to take this moment to thank my reviewers and readers for sticking with me. You guys are my inspiration :)**

**(8)**

**(no lyrics here)**

Nausea…that's what woke him from his sleep…he felt sick to his stomach and it wasn't pleasant at all. With a groan, he sat up and rubbed his eyes. Moving didn't help it at all. He blinked a few times, unable to understand why everything was so blurry, and why the room was swaying back and forth. Sweat dripped down from his forehead, trickling down his neck and onto the exposed skin of his chest. He was very overheated…

Cool off…he needed to cool off…

Bracing himself with the stairway beside him, he pulled himself onto his feet, stumbling a few times on his way up.

The sound of shifting forced his eyes down to the ground. He could see the shape of Alice, still bundled up and sleeping soundly. He would have loved to stay there beside her until she woke and reminisce on the previous nights events, but right now, he needed some fresh air…

Careful not to wake her, he maneuvered his way out from their corner and, with a hand on the wall to guide him, walked towards the blurry image of light with heavy, dragging feet. With each step, his breathing came much heavier and raspier than before, until he had to stop to cough into his hand…it wasn't until he got into the light where he saw his hand was stained with blood.

He grimaced and wiped it away on his black pants. As he did so, he began to cough again but this time, it was hard enough to send him to his hands and knees. Blood, bile, and last nights dinner spewed from his mouth with every hack and spasm, and the unpleasant taste only made him hack more until he had nothing left to throw up but his own bile…accompanied by some more red stains.

"Oh god…"He gasped, wiping his mouth with his sleeve, "not now…please, not now…not this soon…" He had managed to fight it off for three days…but he knew eventually it would have to come, although he wished he had the strength to fight it off further.

That's how it was, and that's how it had to be…

He had already come to accept that he would most likely die from resisting it…he didn't fear death.

He never has, and he doesn't plan to start. What he did fear, though, was hurting those he loved…he cant bear the thought of seeing Alices horrified expression at the sight of him the night before last, and that was barely a full change…

Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, Hatter tried to stand, but stumbled again. He decided it would be best to just lean against the cold marble and take a breather, calm his nerves before they got the best of him again…

Unfortunately, relaxing wasn't going to be an option…

He could feel the presence of another rapidly approaching. His heightened senses were able to pick up the sound of footsteps and horses heading their way. Great…just what they needed…trouble from the locals.

With a grunt, he stood and made his way back into the temple. His vision was much less blurry now, but he was still quite disoriented and needed to use the wall for support as he trudged back.

He knelt beside Alice and gently shook her awake, "Alice…Alice, love, Wake up, please."

Alice groaned but diddnt stir. He shook her again, this time, a little rougher, "You need to get up, Love. Someones coming, and we need to hide." At this, she opened her eyes and looked up into his pale, sweaty face. Her eyes widened and she sat up rapidly, "Hatter whats wrong! You look terrible! Are you okay?!" A hand reached for his face, but he took a hold of it before it touched him, "I'll be fine…but we need to go quick, please."

"And where are you going exactly?" A strange voice spoke. Alice and Hatter looked toward the entrance at the strange hooded figure in the doorway. They both stood up slowly, Hatter reflexively placing himself infront of her, but Alice maneuvered herself away from behind him to show she wasn't afraid. "Who are you and what do you want?" She asked, her voice stern.

"That's none of your concern. The real question is, who are YOU, and what are you doing here. Outsiders are not welcome here!" the figure responded with a growl. From his sleeve, Alice saw a dark, clawed hand emerge, flexing itself as if preparing for a fight.

Behind her, Hatter growled low in his throat as he placed himself infront of her again, despite her defiance. Anything with long black claws was not to be trusted in his opinion. "We are no outsiders," He said, pulling up his right sleeve to reveal the tree branch stained into his skin. Even in the dim light, the creature at the doorway could see the image as plain as day on his wrist.

The hooded creature hissed out a curse in some strange tongue and flipped back his hood, revealing the face of a black feline creature, its eyes a gleaming emerald color which seemed to glow in contrast with its raven black fur. The long hair on top of its head was wrapped in random places with colored strings and beads.

'Great,' Hatter thought, 'Just what we need…'

The Sivak were an Elite fighting force and chosen guardians of Makatok, resembling humanoid felines. They lived up to their Feline heritage by being swift and agile, skilled fighters and ruthless killers. Very few have gotten into a fight with a Sivak and lived to tell the tale.

Hatter knew all too well that these feline creatures weren't to be messed with…

The Sivak's emerald green eyes scanned them as he approached, his stride as elegant as his appearance, his long black tail trailing behind him. He stood about a head taller than Hatter.

"So, youre who weve been waiting for, hmm?" The Sivak growled, looking down at the mark on Hatters white flesh, before looking back into his eyes with a fierce stare, "And where is the Leafed one?"

"I'm right here," Alice finally spoke up, stepping out from behind Hatter, catching the Felines intense gaze with one of her own. Clearly, she was not intimidated.

"I trust, then, that you are Alice?" The felines voice was gentler now. He seemed impressed with the girls courage.

"How do you know that?" Alice was slightly weirded by the fact that yet another strange character knew her name. "The Stag spoke of you…He said that some day Alice would return," The brownie said as he took the liberty to pull down Alice's collar to reveal her marking. He chuckled, "He spoke true. Come then! I'm sure you have questions that need answering."

"Where are you taking us?" Alice said, taking one step forward. "somewhere safe," The Sivak said plainly before walking away, exiting the temple.

"Cocky little git," Hatter said before releasing the cough that had been building up in his chest. He had to bend over from the force of it. Instinctively, Alice put her hands on his back. "Are you alright? Breathe slowly." She said to him, but by then, his coughing fit had ended. Small splatters of blood stained his hand, but he wiped it away quickly on his black jacket before Alice could see, and he licked away whatever bit was on his lips. "I'm fine," he said as he stood straight again, breathing deep through his nose and exhaling through his mouth, "Been a hard trip, me body is finally catching up to me it seems."

"Should we follow him?" Alice asked, wary of the strange feline creature that had just left.

"Course! Aint no place safer than with a Sivak!"

"Sivak??"

"What do they teach you people on the other side of the glass?" There was a laughter in his voice as he spoke, "Come on, I'll tell you all about it when we get there." He started to gather up their things from the previous night. "But where is 'there'? I'm confu-" but before she could finish speaking, Hatters hands were on either side of her face, his dark eyes staring intently into hers. "Don't be," He said gently as his hands ran down her face, neck, and over her shoulders before coming to rest on her arms, "I'll explain everything on the way over, and when we get there, all our questions will be answered. Trust me, ok?" Alice pressed her forehead to his, "I do trust you…I'm just a little scared it all. I have been this whole time…this is all happening so fast…"

"Then that just means we'll be home faster, ya?" He kissed her forehead, then released her and finished up what he was doing, swinging the bag of equipment over his shoulder.

Alice watched him incredulously, a half smile on her lips, "We?"

Hatter winked at her and smiled.

* * *

The Town was nestled in the ruins of yet another ancient culture, just nearby the temple itself. From where the town stood at the base of a hill, they could see the gleaming marble of the temple and the golden antlers of the massive statue ontop of it.

Hatter's mood jumped skyward at the sight of the town, so much so that he was practically bouncing on his horse. "Oh gosh I never thought I'd live to see this place! I'd almost forgotten it was here!" He said, pulling the horse to a quick stop just to jump off of it. With all his energy, there was no way he was going to stay seated. Alice looked down at him curiously. She had never seen him this bubbly before. He was a quirky man by nature, yes, but this quirky?

"Whats so great about it?" Alice asked. Hatter's smiling eyes gazed up at her, "Boy do I have some stories to tell you tonight."

"Come on, now, move quickly. We don't want to draw too much attention." Their escort called back to them, the same Sivak as before who had identified himself as Remus. He proved to be a very kind character, but a tough one to keep up with as fast as his kind were.

Alice noticed there were several other Feline people that roamed the area. She assumed this was their stronghold and also a place for refugees.

The people of the town cast odd glances at them as they walked by. Alice felt awkward sitting on top of the horse by herself with all those eyes on her. "Why are they staring at us?" She mumbled to Hatter walking closely beside her. He looked up at her with one dark brown eye, "Just keep your eyes forward." Remus gestured for them to pick up the pace, and the happily obliged, desperate to rid themselves from the awkward glances of the people around them. Remus led them to the other side of the town, and they were happy to know that their lodgings were well out of sight. There were many many empty homes here, 'and theyre all probably waiting for more refugees to arrive…' Alice mused. She was grateful that Remus brought them to a more private area. He knew publicity was not something they wanted at the moment.

Their home was small…a little hut with a single bed, a desk, and lit by several candles. It was small, but they didn't mind. It was much better than sleeping on the floor.

"I know its not what youre used to," Remus said as he stepped in with them, closing the door behind them, "But its all weve got that's private." "Its fine, Remus, thanks." Alice said with a smile. The Felines whiskers twitched with his smile, "Clean yourselves up and rest. My master will want to meet with you this evening. There are hot springs underground scattered all over the town. You'll find doors to lead you there. You'll find clean clothes waiting for you when you get back."

Alice sighed at the thought of a hot shower and was the first to remove her shoes once the Remus exited the hut. "I guess I know where youre going then?" Hatter said with a chuckle. "You don't even know how badly I need this," Alice said as she stood. Hatter reached up and touched his shock of greasy hair, "trust me, love, I do."

* * *

Alice couldn't remember the last time she felt so refreshed, and comfortable at that. The clothes she wore kept her pleasantly warm and she felt unnaturally free. The last time she was able to move this freely without restriction, she was naked in a hot spring.

The pants were a thick yet light cotton. In her world, they would have been considered 'Pajama pants', but they seemed much too thick to be labeled as such in her opinion. She didn't much care for the heavy cotton shirt, so she resorted to wearing another of Hatter's comfy silk shirts while hers dried after being washed in the spring…not that he minded of course. He had pleanty to spare.

The weather was warmer here. It was chilly, but it wasn't as unbearable as it was when they were further out. She could walk in the sunlight without her jacket, but it was when the sun began to set when the cold started to really nip at her. Hatter spent most of the day sleeping, the daytime fatigue becoming heavier and heavier as the days went on. When he was awake, he was as energetic as ever, but he was still quite pale, and no matter how hard Alice pushed for an explanation, he shoved her worries away with a simple "I'm okay," or a "probably just a cold, love."

As the evening drew near, the air got colder, and Alice had to bundle up in her jacket again. It was almost Sundown, and she knew Remus would be coming for them soon. She looked over her shoulder at the sleeping lump on the bed, his arm stretched over his eyes, his mouth slightly agape, his chest rising and falling with each breath. He was dressed in the same outfit as when she first met him; his dark pants and red button up shirt . The golden brown leather jacket was folded neatly under his head like a pillow and his matching hat rested on his abdomen.

Alice shook her head at the picture with a soft smile and approached him. She sat beside him and placed a hand on his chest, "Hey. Hatter...come on, time to wake up." She shook him gently as she spoke, chuckling as he grunted with disapproval and flipped onto his side to face away from her. He mumbled some words that she couldn't understand.

"Oh come on, Hatter you've been asleep for hours. Get up." She said, shaking him a little harder now. He grunted again, mumbling as he did so. Annoyed this time, she pushed on his shoulder, forcing him to roll on to his back once more, "Hatter enough games." He cracked one eye open and stared at her long and hard before finally yawning and sitting up, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. As he stood, he threw his hat on Alices head, the words "hold this" slipping out of his mouth as he stumbled over to a bowl of fresh water on their desk with which he proceeded to wash his face. "Remus should be coming for us soon," Alice said as she approached him, removing the brown hat from her head and returning it to its rightful place ontop of his wild shock of hair. He took a moment to smile at her but his smile quickly faded as an uneasiness began to arise in his stomach…followed by pain. He gripped his midriff and groaned as he started to sway. "Hatter?! Hatter!" Alice grabbed hold of him before he could fall, and led him back to the bed, upon which he collapsed on his side and started to shiver. Alice knelt beside him, stroking his hair. Despite the cold, he was unnaturally sweaty, but the way he was shaking now, if she took off his shirt, he would freeze to death. "Hatter, shhh, relax. Try to relax please." She said, trying to hide her panic as best she could. Hatters eyes fixed on hers. She could see small threads of red starting to creep into his Iris'.

"oh god…" She whispered to herself as fear began to eat at her chest. Was he turning again? Was he going to hurt her? Hatter's shaky hand reached out to grab her arm. Pain was coursing through every nerve in his body. He didn't even have the strength to scream.

The more Alice tried to pull away from his grip, the worse he got. She was afraid, she didn't know what to do. She couldn't call for help, because if they saw him like this, they would kill him. She could easily overpower him and break away from him, but hurting him more was something she could not find in her heart to do. Instead, she returned to gently stroking his hair and whispering soft words. Her voice shook with fear but she tried to remain calm for him.

"Shh, Hatter, Its ok. I'm here, I wont leave you again," She whispered, pressing kisses against his hot, sweaty forehead. His shivers ceased but she could still see the extreme pain etched in his face. He flipped onto his back, an inhuman growl vibrating low in his chest as he worked to undo his shirt, desperate to let air cool him off but the pain of moving prevented him from doing so. Alice quickly stepped in, unbuttoning his sweat-soaked shirt and slipping it off, revealing dark colored patches staining his abdomen and chest. They looked like bruises, but she knew too well that they weren't.

Hatters chest was heaving with breaths as though all of a sudden the air had become too thin. Alice began to panic. Tears streamed down her face and she gripped her head in desperation. 'no,' she thought, 'no no no no! This cant happen…not to him! Not now! Oh god please let him be ok! I don't know what to do!'

"What is the matter?" A voice came from the doorway.

'oh no…'

Alice turned to see the black feline standing at the doorway, ears twitching with curiosity. "He's sick. Please, give us a moment," She said, trying to sound as calm as she could. The Sivak's green eyes focused on Hatters sweaty, pale form making an attempt to hide his agonizing pain without avail. He noticed several dark areas across his chest that were slowly creeping up his neck. With a loud hiss, the Sivak threw himself forward, taking Hatter by the throat and lifting him clean off the bed. "NO!" Alice roared and took the creatures arm under her own, crushing it against her with all her strength and attempting to twist it at the same time. Remus cried out in pain and released his hold on Hatter, giving Alice the chance to flip him and throw him hard against the ground. While the beast was down, she quickly wrapped Hatter up in his coat as best she could and tried to get him to stand, "come on, Hatter, we have to go. Please."

Hatter, despite his extreme pain, forced himself to stand on shaky legs. Remus, by this time, was already back on his feet. "Traitor! You dare defend this creature!!" He roared at Alice as she stepped infront of Hatter. "Its not his fault he's this way! He can be helped!" She roared back.

"HE'S ONE OF THEM!" Remus launched himself forward, fangs and claws bared, but before Alice could react, a blur shot past her and into the snarling feline. In less than a second, Remus was on his back with Hatters hand against his throat in a violent hold, his ruby red eyes aflame, his face close to the Sivak's with silver teeth bared.

**A/N: My promises for the next few chapters, as I already have them planned**

**~We get to meet the leader of the "dark side" for lack of a better word**

**~We get to learn how the destruction in Alices world is connected to Wonderlands problem**

**~We learn how it can all be fixed**

**These are my promises to you! A few things had to happen before I revealed all that stuff…Had to get our darling couple in the dangerous position theyre in :/**

**Hope you enjoyed the chapter. Things are going to speed up from here.**


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